Science Weekly - 15032020

Check out what Fitness, Nutrition and Exercise Science has to offer this week!

Let's see what's on the table this week:

• Indoor athletes at higher risks of vitamin D deficiency?
• New developments in obesity research
• Higher visceral fat may affect cognition
• Seems that Omega-3 fats don't protect against cancer
• Intriguing research on how technology may help to eat less

Athletes who play indoor sports at risk of vitamin D deficiency

A new study assesses vitamin D status and supplementation of college athletes. Researchers found that the majority of athletes were vitamin D insufficient and a daily vitamin D supplement of 10,000 IU improved their status.

Source: George Mason University

Newly discovered brain response to obesity drug may inform future treatments

The FDA-approved drug liraglutide has been shown to help obese patients lose weight by suppressing their appetite. However, where and how the drug acts in the brain was not fully understood, until now. A new preclinical study shows how liraglutide crosses the brain's blood barrier to engage with a region of the brainstem known as the nucleus tractus solitarius, which is responsible for balancing food intake and energy expenditure.

Source: University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine

Visceral fat delivers signal to the brain that hurts cognition

Excessive weight around our middle gives our brain's resident immune cells heavy exposure to a signal that turns them against us, setting in motion a crescendo of inflammation that damages cognition, scientists say.

Source: ​Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University

Omega-3 fats do not protect against cancer

Omega-3 fats do not protect against cancer -- according to new University of East Anglia research. Increased consumption of omega-3 fats is widely promoted globally because of a common belief that it will protect against, or even reverse, diseases such as cancer, heart attacks and stroke. But two systematic reviews find that omega-3 supplements may slightly reduce coronary heart disease mortality and events, but slightly increase risk of prostate cancer. Both beneficial and harmful effects are small.

Source: ​University of East Anglia

Using technology during mealtimes may decrease food intake, study finds

When 119 young adults consumed a meal while playing a simple computer game for 15 minutes, they ate significantly less than when they ate the same meal without distractions.

Source: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, News Bureau